With the popularization of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, mobile applications, or “apps,” have become household terms. Apps are computer applications that execute on mobile devices. Like applications that execute on traditional computing devices, apps allow users to perform a wide range of actions, from simple (e.g., access the Internet, take a photo) to specialized (e.g., file tax forms, play a board game). For instance, many banking institutions provide customers with apps to access to bank accounts to review balance information, transfer money, pay bills, and perform other related actions. Similarly, many financial institutions also provide customers with apps that review the performance of the stock markets, complete trades, configure automated trades using user-defined limits and stops, and perform other intricate trading operations. Various vendors provide mobile apps for use by their customers for making purchases, obtaining loyalty points and rewards, receiving information about promotions, etc. Purchasers desiring to make a purchase typically use mobile apps or search web sites over the Internet to find an item for purchase.
In recent years devices have been popularized for creating a virtual reality or augmenting an existing reality. While virtual reality offers a digital recreation of a real life setting, augmented reality delivers virtual elements as an overlay to the real world. These augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) devices utilize the same types of technologies and often operate in conjunction with apps in order to enhance the field of use or experience targeted by the app. Virtual reality is often delivered through the use of a head mounted or handheld controller that users operate to control and navigate their actions in an environment created to simulate the real world. Such AR and VR devices include, for example, Facebook Oculus™, Microsoft HoloLens™, Google Glass™, and AR Helmet™. VR and AR are being used more frequently in mobile devices such as laptops, smart phones, and tablets to alter interaction through the use of digital images. VR and AR can also be blended to generate a fully immersive experience.
Apps that operate in conjunction with VR and AR devices include, for example, CrowdOptic, that applies algorithms and triangulation techniques to photo metadata including GPS positions, compass heading, and a time stamp to arrive at a relative significance value for the photo objects. CrowdOptic technology can be used by Google Glass users to learn where to look at a given point in time.
AR and VR have been used in many applications including, but not limited to construction, education, sports, entertainment, search and rescue, beauty, and military. However, AR and VR devices and applications have been under-utilized with respect to facilitating completion of everyday tasks. For example, no sophisticated AR or VR applications exist for facilitating completion of transactions, such as online shopping and in-person shopping transactions requiring payments or exchange of funds.
Accordingly, a solution is needed that will allow individuals to utilize AR/VR technology to enhance their everyday shopping and purchasing experiences. The solution should operate automatically and dynamically adapt to differing situations.